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www.carrollcountytimes.com 75¢
100TH ANNIVERSARY
1911-2011 Thursday, October 7, 2010

Graduation rate

Carroll
No. 1
in state
Despite slight drop,
schools still on top
BY MEGAN MCKEEVER
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Although the graduation rate for Car-
roll County Public Schools dropped
slightly, the school system continues to
lead the state in graduation rates — 9
percentage points above the state aver-
age — with 95 percent of students grad-
uating in 2010.
“We have a very good track record as
far as keeping our students in school and
them meeting graduation requirements,”
Superintendent Steve Guthrie said.
DAVE MUNCH/STAFF PHOTOS Carroll’s graduation rate is 95.3 per-
Megan Matteson, center, confronts Jacob Phelps, of Westboro Baptist Church, outside the U.S. Supreme Court cent, compared to the state’s average of
Wednesday. The hearing and resulting scene outside the court brought a wide mix of national media. 86 percent.

Court hears case

Justices consider
funeral protest appeal
BY RYAN MARSHALL
TIMES STAFF WRITER
WASHINGTON — How broadly the
nation’s highest court rules in a case of a
2006 military funeral protest that oc-
curred in Carroll County could have a
significant impact on First Amendment
rights, one constitutional law expert said.
The Supreme Court
of the United States
heard oral arguments
Wednesday in the case INSIDE
of Snyder v. Phelps, Page A7
which is based around
A timeline
the protests of a
of the Sny-
Kansas fundamentalist
group at the funeral of der v. Phelps
a Westminster Marine case
killed in Iraq in 2006.
Albert Snyder, of
York, Pa., filed the lawsuit after members
of the Westboro Baptist Church
protested outside the funeral of his son
Matthew Snyder, 20, at St. John Catholic
Church in Westminster in March 2006.
Westboro has expressed the belief that
God is punishing the United States for its
tolerance of homosexuals and others by
killing soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The group carried signs at Matthew Sny-
der’s funeral with messages such as
“Thank God for Dead Soldiers” and “God
Hates the USA.”
The Court will have to determine
Please see Case, A7
Albert Snyder, center, speaks outside
the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington,
D.C., Wednesday. Snyder filed a lawsuit
after members of the Westboro Baptist
Church protested outside the funeral of
his son, Matthew Snyder.
Along with maintaining a strong grad-
uation rate, the dropout rate declined to
0.94 percent from 1.07 percent. The
state’s average dropout rate was
2.3 percent in the 2009 to 2010 school
year — the lowest in 11 years, according
to data released Tuesday by the Mary-
land State Department of Education.
Graduation requirements were
strengthened last year when the state
Scene inside quiet; mandated that all students must pass the
High School Assessment in order to
crowds rally outside graduate. Students who fail the test
twice can opt to complete an alternative
project to demonstrate knowledge of test
BY RYAN MARSHALL material.
TIMES STAFF WRITER “We thought we would see a decline
in the graduation rate due to the HSAs,
WASHINGTON — It was a battle of the but it’s been the opposite,” said Gregg
signs in front of the Supreme Court Bricca, Carroll County Public Schools’
Wednesday morning, as various groups
competed to see who could hold their ban-
ner the highest and who could draw the Please see Schools, A3
most television cameras.
The court was scheduled to hear oral ar- TOP RATES IN STATE
guments at 10 a.m. in Snyder v. Phelps, a
case that originated when Albert Snyder, ■ Carroll County: 95.3 percent
■ Frederick County: 94.6 percent
of York, Pa., the father of a Marine killed in
Iraq, sued members of Westboro Baptist ■ Howard County: 94.3 percent
Church, the fundamentalist group from ■ Worcester County: 93.4 per-
Topeka, Kan., that picketed outside his cent
son’s funeral at a Westminster church in
■ Garrett County: 92.8 percent
2006.
The Westboro group says God is punish-
ing the United States for tolerating homo-
sexuality by killing soldiers in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Inside the court, with its marble pillars,
TODAY IN THE TIMES
velvet drapes and rich wood paneling, the
atmosphere was hushed and respectful as
the nine justices took turns questioning
lawyers from each side on complex legal
questions and hypothetical scenarios.
Outside, activists, onlookers, reporters
and police gawked at the scene unfolding
beneath the “Equal Justice Under Law”
motto carved into the front of the Court
building.
There was a brightly colored sign with a
slogan “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” and
one a few feet away that quoted John 3:16, 9 years in Afghanistan
“For God so loved the world …”
Uncertainty over U.S. plans
Please see Scene, A7 as war begins 10th year. A5

Westminster Republican launches write-in campaign

Reynolds running for County Board primary
with 1,572 ELECTION “America is a wonderful
country, and we have the
Write- in votes are not
counted unless they’re for
of Commissioners in District 1 votes. opportunity to try and try a candidate that registers

BY ADAM BEDNAR ster, said he’s running as a

TIMES STAFF WRITER
Steve Reynolds, who lost
his bid to be the Republi-
can nominee for Carroll
County Board of Commis-
sioners in District 1, has
launched a write- in cam-
paign for the general elec-
tion.
Reynolds, of Westmin-
write- in candidate because
he feels the majority of
voters in the district had
voted for someone other
than primary winner Robin
Bartlett Frazier.
“She won by default;
it wasn’t because of the
will of the people,” he said.
Frazier won in the most
crowded commissioner
Vincent
Pacelli fin-
ished sec-
2010 again,” she said.
Paula Troxell, Carroll
as a write- in candidate.
The deadline to file to run
as a write- in candidate is
County’s deputy director
ond with sixth with 62 votes. of elections, said Reynolds’ Oct. 27.
1,004 votes, Reynolds said his cam- name will not appear on Tina Mawhinney is
Michael paign has the backing of the ballot and that his sup- the Democratic candidate
Blair fin- REYNOLDS Buczkowski and Blair. porters will have to write for commissioner in Dis-
ished third Frazier said Reynolds’ in his name. trict 1.
with 640 votes, Reynolds renewed campaign won’t She said Reynolds’ name
finished fourth with 391 change her plans and will appear on sample bal- Reach staff writer Adam
votes, Ron Buczkowski fin- that she will continue to lots, but it will be included Bednar at 410-751- 5908 or
ished fifth with 119 votes work hard on the campaign with a collection of other adam.bednar@carrollcoun
and George Butler finished trail. write- in candidates. tytimes.com.

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